Sermon – 1 Kings 21:14-21 – Abuse of Power

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – 1 Kings 21:14-21 – Abuse of Power
Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Presbyterian Churches
June 13, 2010

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Good morning. Today I am preaching my second in a series of sermons drawn from Kings, books one and two. These books were once united, but had to be split to accommodate the ancient skill of scroll making. One scroll could not hold the entire book so it was divided into two scrolls, part a and part b. And so we have the books of First and Second Kings. In First Kings we have already seen a cataclysmic struggle taking place between Ahab the King of Israel and Elijah the Prophet of God. This struggle represented a larger cosmic struggle between Yahweh, the God of Israel and Baal, the Phoenician weather god. Last week we saw Yahweh closing the windows of heaven to keep the rain out causing a three year draught proving that Baal was either powerless or nonexistent. Today we will look at the socio-political struggle and the economic ramifications in Israel which were the direct result of the idolatry that Ahab and Jezebel had introduced into the country. But before we get to all of this please pray with me.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

1 Kings 21:14-21 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned and is dead." 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead." 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth's vineyard. 17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?' Then say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth's blood, dogs will lick up your blood-- yes, yours!'" 20 Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!" "I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 21 'I am going to bring disaster on you.

There is a story from Greek antiquity about a King named Midas. Midas wanted power, absolute power. So he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. His wish came true. But when he tried to drink some water it turned to gold as it touched his lips. Food turned to gold when he tried to eat. And when he tried to embrace his own daughter, she too turned to gold. As the old saying goes, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” King Midas teaches us that life is not about hoarding things and amassing great wealth. There must be some other purpose to life.

Ahab may have been the King of Israel but he had completely turned away from the God of Israel. He may have thought that he is now worshiping his wife’s god, Baal, but in reality he was worshiping power. And the power he worshiped was corrupting him. He wanted to hoard more and more things and amass greater and greater wealth.

As a powerful person Ahab usually got what he wanted, and he wanted Naboth’s vineyard. At first he tried to buy the vineyard from Naboth, but Naboth refused. Ahab wanted the field to “grow vegetables”. He was not planning to grow corn or potatoes. The term “vegetable garden” in the Old Testament refers to a farm being used to supply the military with food and grow grain for the King’s storehouses. Ahab wanted the field to enhance his own power and wealth. With it he could feed a larger army and have grain to trade internationally.

Naboth was not about to give up the land with out a fight. He and his family had been given the land by Yahweh, the God of Israel. It was to stay in their possession forever provided that the cared for the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans and the aliens in Israel. This was the covenant between God and the farmers of Israel. And Naboth was not going to break his covenant with God. So he told Ahab, “no deal”. Ahab was so overwhelmed by his lust for power that after Naboth’s rejection he was overcome by depression and went to bed refusing to eat.

Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, decided to act on her own while he sulked in bed. She, like her husband, coveted their neighbor’s land. She sent letters pretending to be the king, and got others to bear false witness against Naboth. And she had Naboth murdered. Obviously the Ten Commandments didn’t slow her down any.

This is just one story representing many more as the descendants of King Omri attempted to nationalize the farms of Israel. Before Omri the land was considered as being owned by God. God allowed families to farm the land provided that they generously shared the food grown with the poorest in the community. The farmers were not to harvest all the way to the edge of the field. They were not to pickup what fell off their wagons. That way the poor could glean the fields and get enough food to survive. But with the king’s desire for power there was no longer any concern for the poor. Any excess went into his storehouses and poor went hungry. As more and more land was nationalized to satisfy the desire for power of the king, less and less was available for the poor to glean. The poor were hungry. God had to act to stop Ahab and save his people so he sent Elijah to speak with the king.

As the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico grows, similar issues of land-use, hoarding and amassing great wealth face us today. The United States government is holding BP liable for not only the environmental effects but also the economic impact of the spill. There have been calls for the government to seize the assets of BP. And as the stock price of BP declines the investments of many British pensioners are being affected. Obviously there are no winners in the oil spill off the coast. In all of this we should remember that the Gulf of Mexico, like Naboth’s vineyard, was given to us by God for our benefit. God wants us to have the Gulf fish, shrimp and oysters to eat. God wants us to have the oil to heat our homes in the winter. And God wants to make certain that part of what comes out of the Gulf is used to benefit the poor and needy in our land. But God will oppose any use of the Gulf that is based on greed and hoarding. This purpose of drilling for oil is to heat our homes and power our cars, not to amass wealth for BP or excessive taxes for the government. The crises in the Gulf may be God’s corrective action to bring the uses of the Gulf into agreement with God’s will.

All of this teaches us that, like Naboth, God has given us jobs and businesses and farms not to be used to satisfy our lust for money and power, but to care for the poor and needy of our land. We are not to hoard things and amass great wealth. God gives us what we need and expects us to help others in need.

Where do we stand in all of this? Do we passively stand by watching as governments and corporations follow Jezebel in hoarding resources and amassing great wealth? Or do we stand with the poor of the world and insist that their needs be met? These are question we all face. Following God is never easy, but unlike hoarding and amassing wealth it is our path to happiness. The psalmist puts it this way,

Psalm 52:7-8 7 "See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!” 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

So we receive love and blessings from God and we are called not to hoard our blessings and amass great wealth. Rather we are to share our blessings with those in need and the promise of scripture is that God will bless us with more than we could ever imagine.

Let us pray. Father in heaven we are grateful for all you have given us. Help us to be satisfied with what we have. Help us to generously share what we have been given. And help us to not covet what our neighbor has. We pray this in the name of your son who gave his very life for us. Amen.

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